Hottest Ticket at Tiger Stadium? Nope, it’s Not Alabama
Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge is an electric place to be on Saturday nights during the fall. That's usually when the LSU Tigers play their home football games and to say crowds in "Death Valley" can get raucous is an understatement.
Often times fans, who aren't fortunate enough, connected enough, or wealthy enough to afford season tickets will find themselves on the outside looking in when the biggest games of the season roll around. Usually, the hottest ticket on the LSU home schedule occurs when the Alabama Crimson Tide and former LSU Coach Nick Saban come to town.
Granted, there will still be plenty of interest on November 5th when the Tigers and the Tide hookup in Baton Rouge but as important as that game might be in the SEC standings and the race for the national championship, tickets for that game might not be as coveted as those for another game scheduled at the historic stadium.
According to LSU's Executive Deputy Athletic Director Verge Ausberry another game on the Tiger's schedule is producing the most interest in ticket sales. Ausberry told the Louisiana Radio Network that his office is getting more ticket requests for this match-up than he's gotten for the November match-up against 'Bama.
It's the historic first-ever match-up between LSU and Southern University. It's pretty easy to see why that is such an important ticket for Louisiana football fans. The meeting Saturday night pits the two universities based in Baton Rouge against each other on the football field for the first time in the history of history.
Both LSU and Southern University boast huge fan bases in Baton Rouge, across the state, and across the nation and supporters of both institutions want to be there when history happens. And maybe, this time it's not so much about football as it is about community.
Ausberry in his remarks to the Louisiana Radio Network said the Southern was paid $700,000 to participate in the game. The agreement between LSU and Southern also allows for a $60,000 donation to Southern's athletic fund.
If you're not familiar with the way big-time college football works there are usually several games on the schedule each season where one program, usually a national power such as LSU will pay another school to come in and play a game. This helps schools fill out their schedules and allows for schools with smaller athletic budgets to reap a financial reward.
Oh, and football won't be the only reason fans will want to be in the stands.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSYSrBatQYk
Both universities boast two of the most impressive marching bands in the country. LSU has the Golden Band from Tigerland and Southern has the world-renowned Human Jukebox
The LSU Athletic Department has made a point out of trying to schedule an in-state school every year. Since LSU is going to "pay an opponent to play" it only makes sense that an in-state school be the beneficiary of that financial windfall.
If you can't get a ticket the game will be televised on the SEC Network with kickoff scheduled for 6:30 pm Saturday night. You can also stream the game on fuboTV.
The Tigers enter the game following a heartbreaking loss to Florida State Sunday night while the Jaguars are undefeated following a lopsided win over Florida Memorial this past Saturday. The final score was Southern 86 and Florida Memorial 0.
Most oddsmakers in Las Vegas have declined to offer a point spread on Saturday's game but Caesars Sportsbook did offer a hypothetical line suggesting that LSU was a 38.5-point favorite but again, you can't place a legal wager on the game.
That doesn't mean there won't be a few "cold beer" bets and some bragging rights wagers placed on Saturday's game which should be entertaining and more importantly a great way for fans of both schools to come together for a great night, good football, and an incredible spirit of community.
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